Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. He has written extensively about the beauty of dawn. His collection of nazm/Ghazal and rubaaii can be accessed both under the poet’s name and from the Theme Index, ‘jalva-e sahr’. In this nazm, josh celebrates the dawn of intellect and its rebellion against orthodoxy.
11
Khusha¹ keh zer²-e suyuuf³-e barhana⁴-e fuqaha⁵
khaRi hui hai ba-sad⁶ azm⁷ jur’at⁸-e inkaar⁹     1.blessed, fortune 2.under 3.swords 4.naked, out of the scabbard 5.religious jurist 6.with a hundred 7.resolve, determination 8.courage, daring 9.refusal, rebellion
How fortunate that the courage of refusal/rebellion stands with a hundred-fold strong resolve even under the naked sword of the religious jurist i.e., people are courageously rebelling against orthodoxy.
12
zamiiN ko muzshda¹ keh ab poKhtagi² pe maa’el³ hai
miyaan⁴-e zarra⁵ o Khurshid⁶ zauq⁷-e bos-o-kanaar⁸     1.felicitations 2.maturity 3.inclined towards 4.short for darmiyaan – between 5.particle/grain of dust/clay 6.sun 7.desire 8.kissing and embracing
Felicitations to the earth that the desire to kiss and embrace (love each other) between the sun and dust is reaching maturation. The sun with its brilliance is symbolic of knowledge. Particles of clay on earth are symbolic of human beings. Thus, the love between knowledge and human beings is now inclined towards maturity. Hence, felicitations to the earth.
13
rakaab¹ choom² rahe haiN nujoom³ o shams⁴ o qamar⁵
ye kaun tausan⁶-e jauhar⁷ pe ho raha hai savaar⁸     1.stirrup 2.kiss 3.stars 4.sun 5.moon 6.stallion, horse 7.jewel, excellence, skill 8.mount
‘rakaab choomna-kissing the stirrup’ is offering great honour/homage. Symbolically, it is the human who is mounting the stallion of excellence and skill and the heavens (stars, sun and moon) are paying homage.
14
qadam-qadam¹ pe bichhe² jaa rahe haiN sarv³ o saman⁴
ye gulsitaaN⁵ meN dar⁶ aaya hai kaun jaan-e-bahaar⁷     1.every step 2.laying down 3.cypress, tall/slender/graceful tree 4.jasmine 5.garden 6.enter triumphantly 7.soul of spring
Here, the human being is characterized as the ‘soul of spring’ and they have forcefully entered the garden in triumph, showing that this is their domain. ‘sarv-o-saman’ are symbolic of the yield of the earth. It is laying down before the triumphant entrant at every step.
15
ye sarKhushi¹ meN kise aa rahi hai angRaaii²
keh rashk³-e qaus⁴ hai mehraab⁵-e Khaana⁶-e Khammaar⁷     1.happiness 2.arched stretch/yawn 3.envy 4.rainbow 5.central arch, prayer niche 6.house of 7.winemaker
The house of the winemaker is the tavern which is symbolic of a liberal place for all humanity. The central niche, the arch is a place usually associated with a place of worship, but it is the central arch of the tavern that is ‘stretching/arching’ in happiness i.e., liberal thought is waking up. The contours of this arching are so beautiful that it has become the envy of the rainbow.
16
hua hai kaun ye garm-e-Kharaam¹, naam-e Khuda
ubal² rahi hai rag³-e surKh⁴-e jaada⁵ se jhankaar⁶     1.graceful walk with enthusiasm and purpose 2.boiling over, overflowing 3.vein 4.red 5.path 6.resonance
It is the human being that has launched on a graceful and purposeful walk towards progress and the jugular vein of the path is throbbing/resonating, boiling over with enthusiasm/joy. I am not sure what the ‘naam-e Khuda’ is doing here. A conventional interpretation might be that this walk is being taken in the name of god, but considering the flow of the rest of the nazm, I try to interpret it in a more irreverent way. In usual practice, the name of god is called when people are fearful. Thus, I think that naam-e Khuda is taken either to invoke fear, or say that ignorance is fearful at the increasing wisdom and approach/progress of humanity.
17
ye jaa raha hai kahaaN lashkar¹-e mah² o Khurshiid³
ye muR raha hai kidhar karvaan-e lail-o-nehaar⁴    1.army 2.moon 3.sun 4.day and night, passage of time
Where is this army of sun and moon turning towards. Which way is the caravan of time turning. The questions are a rhetorical expression of admiration of the direction which the progress of humanity is taking.
18
ye chaah¹-e teera² se kis ki jabiiN³ hui hai baland⁴
keh Gharq⁵-e raNg-o-tajalli⁶ hai misr⁷ ka baazaar     1.well 2.dark 3.forehead 4.high 5.immersed, drowned 6.colour and brilliance 7.Egypt
This has reference to the story of yusuf/Joseph. His brothers, out of a fit of jealousy threw him down a deep well. He was rescued by passing caravan and auctioned off as a slave in the bazar. Legend has it that he was an extremely handsome young man, and his beauty is used as a symbol in urdu poetry. Thus, whose bright forehead has been raised from the dark well that the bazaar of misr is immersed in light and colour. Symbolically, humanity as been raised from the deep dark well of ignorance and now its learning and wisdom immerses the whole world in colour and brilliance.
19
ye kis nigaar¹-e do-aalam² ki peshvaaii³ ko
charaaGh⁴ uThaa’e khaRe haiN savaabit⁵ o sayyaar⁶    1.beauty, beloved 2.two worlds, earth and sky 3.welcome, greet 4.lamp 5.still, fixed position of stars, stars 6.moving, moving planets, planets
‘savaabit of sayyaar’ symbolizes the sky and heavens and josh is characterizing human as ‘nigaar-e do-aalam’-the beloved of both worlds. The sky and heavens stand holding lamps to welcome the arrival of humans.